Monthly Archives: March 2014

Nanoscale Optical Switch Breaks Miniaturization Barrier

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Newswise NASHVILLE, Tenn. An ultra-fast and ultra-small optical switch has been invented that could advance the day when photons replace electrons in the innards of consumer products ranging from cell phones to automobiles.

The new optical device can turn on and off trillions of times per second. It consists of individual switches that are only one five-hundredths the width of a human hair (200 nanometers) in diameter. This size is much smaller than the current generation of optical switches and it easily breaks one of the major technical barriers to the spread of electronic devices that detect and control light: miniaturizing the size of ultrafast optical switches.

The new device was developed by a team of scientists from Vanderbilt University, University of Alabama-Birmingham, and Los Alamos National Laboratory and is described in the Mar. 12 issue of the journal Nano Letters.

The ultrafast switch is made out of an artificial material engineered to have properties that are not found in nature. In this case, the metamaterial consists of nanoscale particles of vanadium dioxide (VO2) a crystalline solid that can rapidly switch back and forth between an opaque, metallic phase and a transparent, semiconducting phase which are deposited on a glass substrate and coated with a nanomesh of tiny gold nanoparticles.

The scientists report that bathing these gilded nanoparticles with brief pulses from an ultrafast laser generates hot electrons in the gold nanomesh that jump into the vanadium dioxide and cause it to undergo its phase change in a few trillionths of a second.

We had previously triggered this transition in vanadium dioxide nanoparticles directly with lasers and we wanted to see if we could do it with electrons as well, said Richard Haglund, Stevenson Professor of Physics at Vanderbilt, who led the study. Not only does it work, but the injection of hot electrons from the gold nanoparticles also triggers the transformation with one fifth to one tenth as much energy input required by shining the laser directly on the bare VO2.

Both industry and government are investing heavily in efforts to integrate optics and electronics, because it is generally considered to be the next step in the evolution of information and communications technology. Intel, Hewlett-Packard and IBM have been building chips with increasing optical functionality for the last five years that operate at gigahertz speeds, one thousandth that of the VO2 switch.

Vanadium dioxide switches have a number of characteristics that make them ideal for optoelectronics applications, said Haglund. In addition to their fast speed and small size, they:

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Nanoscale Optical Switch Breaks Miniaturization Barrier

BORDENTOWN CITY: Committee stands by decision to not fly flag

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BORDENTOWN CITY Members of the citys Veterans Memorial Committee stood by their decision to refuse to fly a flag honoring and remembering military personnel, including the late Army SPC Benjamin Moore, during its committee meeting on March 6.

Members of the committee maintain the flag violates code.

We are very saddened by the decision of the Veterans Committee, said SPC Moores mother, Amy Moore, of Robbinsville, in an email on Sunday. They just dont get it. Our intent on presenting the committee the flag was to thank the community for their love and support we received back in January of 2011 when we lost our son.

The decision of the committee has put a huge divide in the community, she added.

Committee Chairman Bruce Throckmorton defended the decision.

We were requested to fly the Honor and Remember Flag, Mr. Throckmorton added. We sent a letter out to the Moores and thanked them and said that we would fly the flag at our earliest opportunity and we didnt.

Mr. Throckmorton noted that the committee realized that there were some substantial issues with the flag. A letter was then sent to the Moores explaining why it was inappropriate for it to fly at the memorial.

We felt it was a violation of the flag code, he added. There are no sanctions if you violate the flag code. The flag code tells you how you are to respect the flag.

The committee reviewed the flag code and reviewed it again.

Frankly, I was hoping we could come up with a compromise, Mr. Throckmorton said. Some way we could fly this flag because I know how much it means to many people in this community but I cant. I have studied the flag code and I believe its a violation.

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BORDENTOWN CITY: Committee stands by decision to not fly flag

Penn Medicine Team to Examine Cognitive Impact of Space Flight as Part of NASA's Unprecedented Twin Astronaut Study

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PHILADELPHIA A team of researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will take part in a first-of-its-kind investigation by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) into the molecular, physiological and psychological effects of spaceflight on the human body by comparing identical twins. The unique opportunity is made possible by NASA's decision to fly veteran astronaut Scott Kelly aboard the International Space Station for one year, beginning March 2015, while his identical twin brother, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, remains on Earth. The research is part of NASAs continuous effort to reduce the health impacts of human space exploration.

Penns research team includes principal investigator Mathias Basner, MD, PhD, MSc, assistant professor of Sleep and Chronobiology, Department of Psychiatry, David F. Dinges, PhD, professor and chief, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, Department of Psychiatry, and Ruben C. Gur, PhD, professor of Psychology, Director of Neuropsychology, the Brain Behavior Laboratory, and the Center for Neuroimaging in Psychiatry.

Their research will focus on psychosocial and neurobehavioral differences between the Kelly brothers including attention, spatial orientation, emotion recognition, and risk decision making, as a result of the spaceflight environment, which includes confinement, weightlessness, stress, and space radiation. "This is a unique opportunity to substantially increase our knowledge of the effects of prolonged exposure to the space flight environment on human physiology and cognition which will help us to better plan for a human mission to Mars, Basner said.

Using twins for the study will allow researchers to examine more subtle changes caused by spaceflight than previously understood. Since the twins have essentially almost identical DNA and DNA controls the biomolecular workings of the body any difference are likely due to spaceflight and not because the two subjects are genetically distinct.

In addition to the work by the Penn team, NASA's Human Research Program (HRP) will fund nine other studies of the Kelly brothers designed to better understand the effects of microgravity on the human body at the molecular level. These studies will look at the way genes in the cells are turned on and off as a result of spaceflight; and how stressors like radiation, confinement and microgravity prompt changes in the proteins and metabolites gathered in biological samples like blood, saliva, urine and stool. The National Space Biomedical Research Institute is partnering with HRP to provide genetic counseling and assisting in the management of the research.

In order to launch the new twin study, scientific and technical experts from academia and government reviewed 40 proposals submitted in response to NASAs research announcement "Human Exploration Research Opportunities - Differential Effects on Homozygous Twin Astronauts Associated with Differences in Exposure to Spaceflight Factors." The 10 selected proposals, which are from 10 institutions in seven states, will receive a combined $1.5 million during a three-year period.

For more information on the study, please visit the NASA website.

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Penn Medicine Team to Examine Cognitive Impact of Space Flight as Part of NASA's Unprecedented Twin Astronaut Study

Biotechnology could extend criminals' lives to make punishment last HUNDREDS of years

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This is the scenario being explored by researchers at Oxford University They claim life extension tech could mean prisoners serve longer sentences Philosopher Dr Rebecca Roache also writes in her blog that a time distortion pill could make people feel like they were in prison longer Another scenario the group looked at was uploading mind to a digital realm Running it a million times faster than normal would enable the uploaded criminal to serve a 1,000 year sentence in eight-and-a-half hours

By Ellie Zolfagharifard

PUBLISHED: 05:37 EST, 14 March 2014 | UPDATED: 12:54 EST, 14 March 2014

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Sentencing a criminal to 1,000 years in an artificial hell may one day become a reality.

At least, that is the claim of scientists at Oxford University who have been exploring controversial technologies that could extend human life.

They say billions are being invested in techniques that could mean the cruellest criminals will be kept alive indefinitely in condition befitting their crime.

Last year, a team of scientists led by Rebecca Roache began exploring technologies that could keep prisoners in an artificial hell

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Biotechnology could extend criminals' lives to make punishment last HUNDREDS of years

String Theory Genius Explains The Coming Breakthroughs That Will Change Life As We Know It

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String field theory co-founder Michio Kaku did not even try to explain his controversial yet undeniably brilliant cosmological theory of everything during his interview on Reddit, beyond this analogy:

"In string theory, all particles are vibrations on a tiny rubber band; physics is the harmonies on the string; chemistry is the melodies we play on vibrating strings; the universe is a symphony of strings, and the 'Mind of God' is cosmic music resonating in 11 dimensional hyperspace."

(The "Mind of God" is what Stephen Hawking said we would understand once we completed a theory of everything.)

While Kaku's cursory approach annoyed some Redditors (the top-voted response brings up problems with string field theory like its lack of testable theses that he did not address), it allowed him to discuss a wide array of fascinating topics he has covered in his further research.

Kaku's media tour is meant to promote his new book, "The Future Of The Mind."

Some highlights from Reddit:

On coming breakthroughs:

"Time travel and teleportation will have to wait. It may take centuries to master these technology. But within the coming decades, we will understand dark matter, perhaps test string theory, find planets which can harbor life, and maybe have Brain 2.0, i.e. our consciousness on a disk which will survive even after we die.

"I think, in the coming years, we will have a brain pacemaker that can stimulate the memory of people with Alzheimer's disease. They will be able to upload simple memories of who they are and where they live. Beyond that, we will be able to use electronics to upload vacations we never had, perhaps. And the internet itself will be a brain-net of emotions and memories.

"The 20 century was the century of physics, with computers, lasers, TV, radio, GPS, the internet, etc. Physics, in turn, has made possible that can probe biology. So I think the 21st century will be the century of physics and biology, esp. biology that can be explored via physics. So the future belongs to nanotech, biotech, AI, and quantum physics."

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String Theory Genius Explains The Coming Breakthroughs That Will Change Life As We Know It

5 ways to digitize your business cards

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We may be edging toward a paperless world, but business cards are still the coin of the networking realm. At any given time, you likely have several sticking out of your wallet, spilling from your pockets, and stacked on your deskeverywhere but on your smartphone in your contact list, where you need them most.

Fortunately, theres a range of tools to help you digitize paper business cards for easy organization. Here are five we like most.

CamCard transcribes business cards to your contact list.

CamCard is an app that reads business cards and converts them into digital contacts. Just snap a photo of a card, and the app orients it, reads the text, and transcribes it to your contact list. Contacts are automatically saved to your CamCard digital card file, but you can choose to save them to other accounts, such as email, Facebook, or your phone contact list.

CamCards OCR works fairly well: Its good at reading text, but its not great at deciphering which text should populate which field in a digital contact file, especially when its trying to read a creative layout. For example, CamCard often gets the company name and the persons title mixed up, because many business cards put the title (not the company) after the persons name. The app is excellent at transcribing numbers (and putting them in the correct mobile, work, or fax box) and email addresses, however.CamCard also keeps a photo of the card, so if the OCR fails, you have a backup.

CamCard isnt just for collecting others cards. You can upload your own card to the database and add augmented reality features, such as links to your work, a headshot, or a video introduction. If another CamCard user scans your card, theyll get all this information.

CamCard is available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry. It comes in two iterationsa free, ad-supported version that limits the amount of cards you can scan, and a paid premium version that costs between $10 and $20, depending on the platform.

CardMunch makes it easy to connect to your contacts LinkedIn profile.

CardMunch is LinkedIns business card app (iOS only). Although its branded as a card reader, it doesnt use OCR technology to transcribe cardsit employs actual humans. Just snap a legible photo of the card then sit back and wait for one of CardMunchs team members to transcribe it and return it in digital form (the process typically takes less than 10 minutes, Ive found). Youll get all the contacts information from the card, as well as from their LinkedIn account if they have one. You can also send them a Linkedin invitation by tapping the convenient Connect button. CardMunch also stores the original card photos for reference.

CardMunch isnt for everyoneits quite a bit slower than CamCard, and, not surprisingly, its heavily LinkedIn focused. You can store digitally scanned contacts to your iOS phonebook, but you cant export them to your email account or other social networks. But if you want the most accurate transcription of your business cardsand you dont mind waiting a few minutesCardMunch delivers.

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5 ways to digitize your business cards

5 Tools for Creating Kickass Social Media Images

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You don't need to be a graphic designer to create great images for social media sites. Even if you don't have a creative bone in your body you can make great images, and you can do it all in a fraction of the time that an expert might take. The secret lies in the tools you use. Graphic designers start from scratch using expensive tools that take years to master.

Smart small business marketing mavens use free and inexpensive tools to create results that only look like they took expertise to create. I've picked five of the best tools for your social media toolkit so that you can spend less time making better images.

Top of my list is Canva.com, a slick online design site and that's currently in beta. Founded by a bunch of Aussies, Canva's designs encompass the entire range of social media needs including blogs, Facebook covers and everything in between. Canva provides the design space, all the images and great-looking text elements for you to combine. You can also upload your own images.

Canva is ridiculously easy to use and the results look excitingly fresh and clean. The site offers most of its generic content for free, and additional premium items cost one dollar each. Most people will get good value by combining free content with an occasional premium element when needed. Canva outputs designs as PNG images or PDFs, and you can also collaborate with others by sharing the project link.

Figure 1: Still in beta, Canva is a one-stop site for creating awesome social media imagery.

One of the confusing things about the range of social media sites out there is how big your images should be and what imagery you need or can use on each of them. If you already have your images and just need a little help to size and tweak them, then head to Social Media Image Maker.

Click to choose the site you're interested in, such as Facebook or Google+, and then choose the type of image to createsuch as cover or profile image. Click the Create button, and then drag-and-drop your image into the pre-sized box. Move and crop the image, and then apply different effects to it. When you're done, download the completed imageready for you to upload to your chosen social media site.

Figure 2: If you're not sure what size to make your social media images, Social Media Image Maker can help.

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5 Tools for Creating Kickass Social Media Images

Wings Paul McCartney Medicine Jar 70’s Acoustic Guitar Rock Music Cover Song Venus Mars Kiwi NZ LGBT – Video

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Wings Paul McCartney Medicine Jar 70 #39;s Acoustic Guitar Rock Music Cover Song Venus Mars Kiwi NZ LGBT
Here is my Wings and Paul McCartney Rock Cover of Medicine Jar of which I bought on the album Venus and Mars in the 1970 #39;s. Peace, Steph No copyright infring...

By: Stephanie Sancia

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Wings Paul McCartney Medicine Jar 70's Acoustic Guitar Rock Music Cover Song Venus Mars Kiwi NZ LGBT - Video

Cannulation- How to insert a cannula. One Minute Edition. Medicine in a Nutshell. IV Access – Video

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Cannulation- How to insert a cannula. One Minute Edition. Medicine in a Nutshell. IV Access
Hints and tips on successful IV cannulation. This one minute guide takes you through the essential skill of gaining IV access. This is useful for ward based ...

By: Pea Nut

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Cannulation- How to insert a cannula. One Minute Edition. Medicine in a Nutshell. IV Access - Video

WEED 2 – Cannabis Madness – hemp oil cure cancer seizure marijuana 420 215 hash bud mmj rso – Video

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WEED 2 - Cannabis Madness - hemp oil cure cancer seizure marijuana 420 215 hash bud mmj rso
A GREAT YOU-TUBER IS THE BEST SCIENTIST ON EARTH - 1 of 3056 Medical Cannabis Research Trails/Studies/Facts from Government website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.g...

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WEED 2 - Cannabis Madness - hemp oil cure cancer seizure marijuana 420 215 hash bud mmj rso - Video

UofL Med school on probation, making significant changes

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by WHAS11

WHAS11.com

Posted on March 13, 2014 at 6:19 PM

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11)-- The University of Louisville Medical School is making some big changes after being placed on probation by a major accreditation agency.

The Medical School is responsible for educating the next generation of doctors, now it faces making changes in specific areas so its probationary status can be lifted .

Dr. Toni Ganzel, the Dean of the Medical School, said the good news is that many of the changes are already fixed or soon will be.

"I'm confident that all these things will be able to be positioned for success," Ganzel said.

The major accrediting agency visited the campus in 2013. The two biggest areas of change involve the pace of the curriculum.

It's an area that 4th year medical student Jessica Huber said has greatly improved and benefitted her.

"I think because of that experience and the experiences we had through the excellent first year curriculum, our class was able to set a record for the average board score passing for our step one," Jessica Huber said.

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UofL Med school on probation, making significant changes